English
Español
There are some fun head to head matchups this weekend, some key contributors who are getting (or staying) hot, and several players who are returning from injury as well. With so much going on there is a ton of action to key in on this weekend. Here’s a good place to start:
Friday
Augsburg v Koln – 2:30p on ESPN Select: Noahkai Banks and Kristoffer Lund face off to start the weekend as Banks and Augsburg look to build on their mini winning streak, having defeated Heidenheim, and most recently Wolfsburg. Augsburg have moved into tenth place and Banks has been playing a key role the whole way. Lund continues to start for Koln as well who are winless in their last three and coming off a 202 draw with Heidenheim. Koln sit in 12th place in the Bundesliga, four points back of Augsburg and just four points ahead of St. Pauli who currently sit in the relegation playoff position.
Saturday
Bournemouth v Sunderland – 7:30a on USA Network: Tyler Adams is back and started last weekend in Bournemouth’s scoreless draw with West Ham. Adams, who had been out since mid-December with a knee injury played 66 minutes on Saturday. Bournemouth are undefeated in seven straight matches and sit in eight place, two points ahead of twelfth place Sunderland, who they host this weekend.
Hoffenheim v St. Pauli – 9:30a on ESPN Select: James Sands came off the bench last weekend as St. Pauli defeated Werder Bremen 2-1 to jump them in the table and pull level with Wolfsburg. St. Pauli remain in the relegation playoff position and will now face third place Hoffenheim.
Bayer Leverkusen v Mainz – 9:30a on ESPN Select: Malik Tillman started and played 81’ last weekend in Leverkusen’s 1-0 loss to Union Berlin but was not on the Bench on Tuesday due to an ankle injury as Leverkusen played Olympiacos to a scoreless draw to win two-legged tie on aggregate 2-0 and advance to the Champions League round of 16.
Borussia Monchengladbach v Union Berlin – 9:30a on ESPN Select: After two weeks coming off the bench Joe Scally was back in the starting lineup last weekend and went 90’ in Gladbach’s 2-1 loss to Freiburg. Gladbach are now winless in their past seven matches and sit just two points ahead of Wolfsburg and St. Pauli who are tied for the relegation playoff spot. Gio Reyna has missed most of this stretch, the past five games, due to yet another injury but has returned to training with the club.
Coventry City v Stoke City – 10a on Paramount+: Haji Wright netted another goal on Wednesday as Coventry City defeated Sheffield United 2-1, opening up a five point lead over Middlesbrough for the top of the English Championship table. Wright has scored eight goals in the last six Coventry matches and the team is on a three match winning streak.
Barcelona v Villarreal – 10:15a on ESPN Deportes and ESPN Select: Alex Freeman did not appear for Villarreal last weekend after appearing in the prior three matches as a substitute. His club will take on league leading Barcelona on Saturday who defeated Levante 3-0 last weekend.
Rennes v Toulouse – 11a on beIN Sports: Mark McKenzie was serving a yellow card suspension last weekend and did not appear in Toulouse’s 1-1 draw with Paris FC, a result that left the French side in tenth place. Toulouse travel to Rennes this weekend to face the sixth place side that are coming off a 3-0 win over Auxerre which was their encore to a 3-1 win over PSG.
Leeds United v Manchester City – 12:30p on NBC: Brenden Aaronson and Leeds United will get the broadcast network treatment on Saturday afternoon as they host title chasing Manchester City. Aaronson has started eleven straight for Leeds who have drawn their past two matches, both against top five EPL sides. They face second place Man City who trail Arsenal by five points in the standings though they have won three straight league matches and five straight across all competitions.
Mallorca v Real Sociedad – 12:30p on ESPN Select: Pellegrino Matarrazo’s Real Sociedad drew with last place Real Oviedo last weekend 3-3 and remain in tenth place in the La Liga standings. They face another relegation threatened club in Mallorca this weekend.
Heracles v PSV – 12:45p on ESPN Select: Sergino Dest and PSV rebounded from their loss to FC Volendam by defeating Heerenveen 3-1 last weekend. Dest started and went the full 90’ while Ricardo Pepi returned from his broken arm to get in on the action, scoring in the final minutes of the match. Though he had missed five straight matches it was the sixth straight match in which he played that Pepi scored.
Monaco v Angers – 1p on beIN Sports: In France Folarin Balogun also scored last weekend, as he notched the first of Monaco’s three goals in their come from behind 3-2 win over Lens. The goal was Balogun’s first league goal since November but it was a follow up to his pair of goals against PSG in Champions League play a week and a half ago. Unfortunately, Monaco would let that lead slip away and then settled for a draw this week and their fellow Ligue 1 club eliminated them from Champions League action. Monaco have won two straight and three of their past four and will be hosting Angers this weekend who are in twelfth place and coming off a 1-0 loss to Lille.
Real Oviedo v Atletico Madrid – 3p on ESPN Deportes and ESPN Select: Johnny Cardoso scored midweek as Atletico Madrid defeated Club Brugge 4-1 in Champions League play and will move on to the next round. Cardoso also started last weekend against Espanyol and went the full 90’ as Atletico won 4-2. The team remains in fourth place and will play bottom of the table Real Oviedo on Saturday afternoon.
Sunday
Cremonese v Milan – 6:30a on Paramount+: Christian Pulisic returned to the starting lineup last weekend and looked sharp but Milan fell to Parma 1-0. The start was Pulisic’s first in over a month as he has delt with some nagging injuries. The loss dropped Milan ten points back of Inter in the Serie A and it seems that race is all but over. Milan will look to bounce back this weekend as they travel to Cremonese to face a side that is currently tied on points with Lecce for the final relegation spot.
Fulham v Tottenham – 9a on USA Network: Antonee Robinson was not included in the squad last weekend as Fulham defeated Sunderland 3-1 as he is apparently dealing with a calf injury that is reportedly minor and not expected to sideline him for long. On Sunday, Fulham will host a Tottenham side that are just four points clear of the relegation zone.
Manchester United v Crystal Palace – 9a on NBCSN and Peacock: Chris Richards and Crystal Palace defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 last weekend and midweek defeated Zrinjski Mostar 2-0 to win their Conference League tie 3-1 on aggregate. Richards started and went the full 90’ in both matches and is looking like the only locked in centerback for the USMNT roster in March.
Sassuolo v Atalanta – 9a on Paramount+: Yunus Musah did not appear again last weekend, or midweek in Champions League play and has failed to make it off the bench in six of his clubs past eight matches across all competitions. His team remain in seventh place and will face ninth place Sassuolo on Sunday.
Stuttgart v Wolfsburg – 9:30a on ESPN Select: Kevin Paredes was used as a substitute by Wolfsburg last weekend as the team fell to Augsburg 2-3, dropping into a tie with St. Pauli for the relegation playoff spot. Wolfsburg are winless in their last six, picking up just two points over that stretch and they now face fourth place Stuttgart who defeated them 3-0 last October.
Hamburg v RB Leipzig – 1:30p on ESPN Select: Damion Downs returned to the bench last weekend after missions Hamburg’s previous match due to illness. Unfortunately, he did not appear in the team’s 1-1 draw with Mainz. Hamburg are in eleventh place, six points clear of the relegation zone, and will be facing fifth place Leipzig who are just two points back of the top four and Champions League qualification.
Olympique Marseille v Olympique Lyon – 2:45p on beIN Sports: Tim Weah and Tanner Tessmann will face off on Sunday in what should be a significant match for Champions League qualification. The top three Ligue 1 finishers will qualify directly and Lyon and Marseille currently sit third and fourth respectively, though Lyon holds a five point lead in the standings. Weah has started eleven straight matches for Marseille who fell to Brest 2-0 last weekend and are winless in their last four league matches while Tessmann has started six straight for Lyon whose seven match winning streak was snapped last weekend in a 3-1 loss to Strasbourg.
Roma v Juventus – 2:45p on Paramount+: Juventus nearly completed an improbable come from behind victory over Galatasaray in Champions League action on Wednesday. Coming into the match down 5-2 on aggregate and playing down a man for half the match Juventus was able to draw level thanks to none other than Weston McKennie who scored a header in the 87th minute. Unfortunately, Juventus would give up two goals in extra time to be eliminated from the competition. Despite the result there might not be any player in US Soccer hotter than McKennie right now, his goal was his fourth in Champions League play this season and his eleventh goal contribution across all competitions. If McKennie is able to carry this form over to the USMNT and into the summer it could be truly a magical World Cup.